For officials from North Valley Hockey, a new roller hockey rink has been on the wish list for more than a decade. North Valley Hockey President Jeff Novak says "this has been years in the making. We've had many people working on this project. Lot's of volunteers, lot's of business's helping us out."
The rink, complete with flooring, plexi-glass walls, and goals was bought by the group from U.C. Davis, but didn't have a building to call home until last march. "It's been stored in a barn here, actually in Hamilton City for the last seven or eight years," according to Recreational League Director Steve Horn.
From lighting, to insulation, organizers say it's a project that would not have been possible without volunteers, and donations. "We've had PG&E helping us, Manville Insulation, BCM, Western Concrete, some of the other rental companies renting equipment to us. A lot of community support," according to Novak.
Even though the building will officially be called a hockey rink, Horn says the facility will also have several other uses. "We expect indoor soccer, we expect to see volleyball, we also expect to see community activities."
For years, the league has played, and at some capacity will continue to play at the Cal Skate rink in Chico, but that's kept some of the higher age groups from being able to host games. Horn told Action News that would change with the new rink, as soon as they can get a little help with the finishing touches. "We've got some building stuff that we need to take care of. We've got some emergency exits we need to put in, and we have to build a fire wall. A few little things like that, but we've got the majority of the rink up."
